After almost 20 years of thinking and writing about fashion, it's become clear to me that what we wear is determined neither by age nor shape. What matters most is confidence. Think about an older woman - Anita Pallenberg, say, or Julie Christie, or Helen Mirren - who might look amazing in on-trend, body-loving clothes. Think about bigger women - Beth Ditto, for instance - who look incredible in high-octane fashion.

The issue here, and it's a potent thought for all women who do themselves down about their body/age, is how you FEEL. We all know that there are days when a sexy shirt or a shorter skirt just feel right. And other days when we'd rather slope around town in a sack. The point is that we should look inward to discover who we are, how we should dress, why certain clothes and colours work and other don't. It's a very personal thing, subject of course to the whim of age and shape, but at base level what we wear has everything to do with who we are, not what we look like. Which means, in truth, that the dictates of fast fashion are largely irrelevant once you're a fully fledged adult; while it's nice to tune into new ideas and original clothes, if you really want to dress well, you'd be better off trying to develop confidence, sass, spirit, sparkle and charisma through your clothes. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes, and wrinkles and muffin tops couldn't matter less.